With Kool-Aid McKinstry considered the CB1 in New Orleans, that leaves all eyes turned on the man to his other side. In base defense, it will be Alontae Taylor on the other side. The New Orleans Saints are likely to play a lot of snaps with three or more defensive backs on the field, however, so expect Taylor to primarily be a slot defender.
The other boundary cornerback in nickel defense is up in the air. Whether it's Isaac Yiadom, Quincy Riley or Rico Payton, the other boundary cornerback cannot be an easy target. This would be the worst case scenario, because a liability has a trickle down effect.
If both corners are solid, that leaves very little room for opposing offenses to operate. Additionally, the rest of the defense should feel a pressure lifted off their shoulders if both ends are able to hold down both ends of the field.
Why the cornerback opposite of Kool-Aid McKinstry has to be reliable
With Taylor expected to be in and out of the slot in Brandon Staley's new defense, that means that it'll be a revolving door on one side of the field. And with the lack of "oomph" behind Taylor, that leaves the man opposite Kool-Aid McKinstry as a target.
The Saints had a great tandem with Paulson Adebo and Marshon Lattimore. Adebo was often more targeted than Lattimore, but you had confidence in Adebo's ability.
Teams likely won't avoid McKinstry like prime Lattimore, but it wouldn't be surprising to see offenses target the other side of the field more if McKinstry builds on an inspiring rookie campaign. That puts the pressure on the other cornerback to at least be solid. One bad corner can lead to consistent, easy offense from your opponent.
No matter how good McKinstry's sophomore season is, he won't be able to accomplish much if the player opposite him can't keep up. Just look at the Saints defense in 2017, where, despite having an elite cornerback in Marshon Lattimore (who was DROTY and a Pro Bowler that year), the team was barely able to crack the top 20.
If the Saints want to win another Super Bowl, they'll have to have one of the better defenses in the league. With the exception of the Rams in 2022, every Super Bowl victor in the past decade has had a defense that ranks among the top 12.